Last Week in Chicago

We made the most out of our last week in Chicago. In the time that I should have spent packing, instead Olivia and I spent playing and hanging out with friends.

It all started on Sunday (1/22). We finally had snow on the ground, so we took advantage of it and met Luke, Sandy, and Adelina for a little sledding. Olivia didn't care for it too much, perhaps because it was a little cold and windy. Or perhaps, she's just not too adventerous yet. Either way, she looked cute doing it! Ha!

With Ady:

Getting Ready:

Going, going gone:

The daddies and their girls walking back up:

She's had enough:

I went down the hill, too. So, it was the first time sledding for both of us. Mission Accomplished! :)

After sledding, we all went out to breakfast to warm up.

Later that afternoon, Sandy and Luke threw us a going away party. It was a fun night and a great opportunity to get the husbands together before we left. Thank you Sandy and Luke for having us all over, and thank you to everyone that came! We will miss all of you!!

On Monday, we had gymnastics again and Olivia loved it! She got especially excited over the stamps she got for doing somersaults. After gymnastics, we went to the mall and had lunch with Sandy, Adelina, Carrie, Leah, and Lainey.

Leah (in the background), Courtney, Adelina and Olivia:

Tuesday was art class followed by lunch with Sandy and Adelina at Birchwood Kitchen.. yum!

Wednesday was a pretty relaxing day. The weather was nice enough that we took a stroll outside. That night, we had pizza with the Foster's, our neighbors upstairs. It was our going away dinner with them, as well as Emma, as she will no longer be nannying for them.

We skipped art on Thursday morning to hang out with Carrie, Leah, and Lainey. It was so much fun! We have really missed our Wednesday morning playdates at Carrie's since she had Lainey. Thursday afternoon was our weekly playgroup at Dinkel's. It was sad that it was our last one there. It has become something that Olivia and I look forward to every week... both the people and the goodies!! :) After a busy day, we headed over to Codrut and Emily's for a farewell dinner with them. Olivia entertained us by playing the piano.

On Friday, we went furniture shopping with Sandy and Adelina. They found what they were looking for, and we ended up buying a bookcase for Olivia's room in the process!

Later that night, Emma babysat Olivia while I went to a Girl's Night Out clothing swap. It was so much fun to hang out with just the girls for a couple of hours! In the meantime, Jon took the train to Arkansas to load up all of the stuff we had in storage there.

On Saturday, while Jon was driving back from AR,Olivia and I went to a kids concert where we met Sandy, Adelina, Carrie and the girls, Clare and her crew, and Bree and Zachary. Afterwards, we had an early dinner with (who else?) Sandy, Ady, Carrie, Leah, and Lainey.

And, then came Sunday... Moving Day. I honestly couldn't have survived moving day without the help of Brendan and Kyra (our upstairs neighbors). Kyra called at 8 and volunteered to watch Olivia while I did some last minute things. I dropped her off and didn't end up picking her back up until almost 2:00pm!! Not only did they watch Olivia, but they also kept us going with an endless supply of coffee. So, THANK YOU Brendan and Kyra!! You made Sunday so much easier and less stressful on all of us!

With Campbell:

After the movers finally finished, we went out to brunch with the Foster's for one last time at Cinnamon Cafe. Shortly after, Jon hit the road to Cleveland, and Olivia and I called it a night for the last time in our Chicago condo.

I think it's safe to say that we made the most out of our last week in Chicago. I can't begin to put into words how much we will miss all of the friends we made there. It definitely felt like home, and that was all because of the people. I have no doubt that we will keep in touch and visit often!

We're Moving!

At least I have a good excuse for not updating lately... We are moving! Tomorrow! And, actually, that isn't a good excuse. I have been busy spending as much time as possible with my friends, mixed in with a little packing. I owe my mom a HUGE Thank You! She came up last week to help pack, and did 90% of it while she was here. So, THANK YOU MOM!!!!

As for the move, we are going to Cleveland, Ohio. Jon took a position as Regional Vice President of Sales with a new company. It's a great opportunity for him, and I couldn't be more proud!

I will update as soon as we get settled into our new place and fill you in on everything!

xoxo

Lots of Playing

I know I say this every week, but it's been another crazy week around here. We didn't have gymnastics on Monday due to MLK Day, so Olivia and I had some friends over for a playdate.

Getting tickled by Ady:

Kisses from Carter:


Tuesday morning was art class followed by lunch at Costello's with Sandy and Adelina. The girls especially loved dancing to the live music there.

On Wednesday, a group of us went to the Kohl's Children's Museum in Glenview. We had soooo much fun!

Driving Carter and Adelina:

Playing with the trains with Carter:

Having SO much fun:

Olivia and Carter playing with the water:

Best Friends- Olivia, Carter, Adelina, and Riley. (Leah hadn't arrived yet):

Cashier of the day:

Olivia and Riley were so exhausted that they fell asleep before we were out of the parking lot:


My mom arrived Wednesday night and stayed until Sunday morning (more on her visit later).

Happy Birthday, Jon!

We had Luke, Sandy, and Adelina over for Jon's birthday. Jon cooked quite a meal for all of us (his idea!) and Olivia and Ady spent lots of time playing together. We put them in the crib together at the end of the night and I think it was their favorite part!

The Past 2 weeks

Well, it's been a busy couple of weeks since I last updated. We spent New Year's Eve with our neighbors upstairs and their kids. We ordered pizza and stayed up long enough to see the ball drop in NYC.

Jon had off work a total of 2 1/2 weeks, so we decided to get away for a few days last week. We went to Cleveland for a couple of days. We've both heard great things about the city and it's only 5 hours away, so we decided to check it out.

Olivia's favorite part was playing on the luggage cart:

Our favorite part was the West Side Market. It is an indoor farmer's market type thing, with stands for meat, bread, cheese, etc and a whole building with fruits and vegetables.

We got back to Chicago last Thursday night. The weather was really nice, so we met Sandy and Adelina at the playground on Friday. Olivia and Ady hadn't seen each other since before Christmas, so I think they were glad to be reunited!
(Picture from Sandy's phone... thanks Sandy ;))

After dinner out with them later that night, we got home just in time to watch Arkansas win the cotton bowl. Olivia even put on her Razorback cheerleading outfit and called the hogs:


Monday morning came all too soon, and it was time for Jon to go back to work. We tried to get him to take off another week, but it didn't work... ;). That's probably a good thing, though because Olivia and I had a big week ahead of us. Olivia had her first gymnastics class on Monday. Unfortunately, I forgot to take the camera, but I'll try to remember next time. She LOVED it! It doesn't hurt that her best friends are in the class... Ady, Carter, and Leah. It had been about 6 weeks since we had seen Kathleen and Carter, and we are SO glad they're back! And, it had been almost a month since we had seen Carrie and Leah because Carrie just gave birth to little Lainey in December. It was so great to be back together with all of them!

On Monday afternoon, Olivia and I went over to Carrie and Leah's house to take dinner, and so I could finally hold Lainey. She was so sweet! I can't believe I forgot my camera (again)!

Tuesday was Olivia's first day of art class. Adelina and Leah are also in this class, as well as Courtney.

Showing off her artwork:

Clare and Riley had a group of us over on Wednesday morning for a playdate, so we finally got to catch up with them, as well as Bree and Zachary. We have art class again on Thursday, but Jon accidentally took my car and house keys to work with him, so we had to skip. We took the train to Dinkel's Bakery Thursday afternoon though for our weekly playdate.

How cute are they?!?

Jon was picking us up from the bakery, but it took him a lot longer than expected due to the snow. Therefore, Olivia and I just went to Sandy and Adelina's place and waited. They ended up even getting to take a bath together, and it was the cutest thing I think I've ever seen!

Today has been a pretty lazy day. We did bundle up and head outside for a few minutes to take some pictures in the snow. It's hard to believe that we were at the playground a week ago without a coat!


I hope you're all off to a great 2012! Apparently, my blogging is off to a slow start... I'll get better, I promise! :) xoxo

Happy New Year